We have also had a sneak peek at the wedding guest lists, below, which include
Posh and Becks, the Sultan of Brunei and the Middletons’ postman, Ryan
Naylor.

On Friday morning, Kate will wake up in the five-room royal suite at London’s
Goring Hotel.

As she prepares to put on her dress and a team of stylists put the finishing
touches to her hair and make-up, the first guests are due to arrive at the
Abbey.

They are expected to turn up from 8.30am via the North Door.

At 10.10am Prince William and Prince Harry will leave Clarence House
for Westminster Abbey, arriving at 10.15am.

At 10.45am the royals are expected to arrive by the Great West Door at
the front of the Abbey. The Queen and Prince Philip will be the last to
arrive before Kate and her bridesmaids appear.

There will be no ushers. The traditional role of showing guests to their seats
and greeting the bride on her arrival will be performed by the historic
Yeomen of the Guard.

Known as the monarch’s bodyguard, the Yeomen are the oldest British military
corps still in existence and date back to Henry VII in 1485 at the Battle of
Bosworth Field.

But while the pomp and ceremony will fill the Abbey, Kate’s arrival will be
modest by royal standards.

Instead of travelling in a gold, horse-drawn coach, she has chosen to travel
in a Fifties Rolls-Royce. She and her father will be the last to arrive at
the Abbey.

They will leave their hotel at 10.51am and head down past Buckingham
Palace, along The Mall and turn right at Trafalgar Square into Whitehall.

Flanked by police on all sides, they will then head into Parliament Square and
turn right towards the front of Westminster Abbey.

The service will last for one hour and 15 minutes.

The Dean of Westminster, the Very Reverend Dr John Hall, will conduct the
service and the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, will preside
over the reciting of vows.

The Bishop of London, the Right Reverend Richard Chartres — who presided over
Princess Diana’s funeral — will give the sermon. Only Kate will have a ring,
following William’s decision to forgo one.

At 12.15pm, William, 28, and his bride will leave the Abbey and emerge
for the first time as husband and wife.

They will climb into a royal coach — either open or glass, depending on the
weather.

They will then re-trace Kate’s route, waving to the crowds lining the streets.

They will be followed by four more ceremonial coaches containing other senior
members of the Royal Family, plus Kate’s parents.

After arriving at Buckingham Palace at 12.30pm they will have private
photographs taken by Hugo Burnand, while 650 invited guests make their way
to a reception in the 19 state rooms.

At 1.25pm — and doubtless to the delight of the 450,000-strong crowd
waiting outside — William and Kate will emerge on to the balcony followed by
other members of the two families.

This is where they are expected to follow the example of William’s parents,
Charles and Diana, and kiss in public.

At 1.30pm, as the royals wait on the balcony, there will be a fly-past
by the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight of Lancaster, Spitfire and
Hurricane aircraft, closely followed by two Typhoon fighter jets and two
Tornados.

The Queen will then host the reception with drinks and canapés, where both
William and Kate’s cakes will be on display.

At 3pm the couple will drive to St James’s Palace for their first
breather.

A few hours later, at around 7pm, they will return to Buckingham Palace
for a second reception, for 300 of their family and friends.

This “private” event will include the speeches and traditional toasts.

Aides insist Wills and Kate have not yet decided whether they will spend their
first night as husband and wife in Buckingham Palace or nearby Clarence
House, where William has an apartment.

However, they will set off for a two-week honeymoon the following morning.

The wedding day is not officially ranked as a state occasion — because William
is not the first in line to the throne. But that does not seem likely to
dampen the excitement.

Aides have revealed that an incredible 7,000 journalists have been accredited
to cover the event, with 60 live camera positions capturing every angle of
the route.